Preventing Dog Behavioral Problems

• Start young to prevent Pet Behavioral Problems.

• Understanding a barker / growler.

• What we need to know about dog bites

Do you succumb to any of these household issues?? If you do, then you already have a problem pet. Maybe its time you did something about it.

Here are some working methods:

Start young to prevent Pet Behavioral Problems

As this is just a guideline, speak to your local veterinarian to provide further insight on these issues.

Understanding Barkers and Growlers
In order to solve 80% of all barking and growling problems that we see, we first have to understand them, simply because we should not use our logic to explain theirs! What we may consider inappropriate i.e. barking and growling, is their natural way of expressing their emotions/ intentions. What we should rather address, are ways and means to curb and redirect these inappropriate behaviors. Anything that startles them, or is unaccustomed to them will illicit a bark or growl. The stimuli that triggers a response may vary in individual pets, i.e. hissing, growling, barking, whining.

Here are some common scenario's that lead to barking
1. Sight of a prey. i.e. a cat notices a gecko
2. Strangers entering your dogs territory
3. Looking for attention, food, or affection
4. Various forms of anxiety i.e. separation, isolation etc.

How your dog rewards himself??
When ever a growling or barking attempt is successful in reaching your pets goal, be it attention, or food, the dog feels rewarded. You may not realize it but you have just succumbed to your pet dogs command!

We must also realize that not all barking and growling is normal, as there may probably be a medical explanation to this. For example a senior dog with a cataract whom is blind, possibly deaf and with a weakened sense of smell, being unable to sense his surrounding. While in other cases where barking may be continuos and uninterrupted, with staged patterns. One may consider compulsive behaviors.

The best way to avoid much of these unacceptable behaviors is to have a head start through puppy socialization activities with other people, other pets, new environments, noise, traffic etc. All this in total reduces anxiety when a puppy grows up which in turn develops a healthy bond with you and strengthens it.

Correcting bad habits
Correcting a barking problem may require clear understanding of situations and stimuli that initate barking. No amount of training will solve your problem unless a more effective control and leadership is established. Unfortunately there can only be one master in this relationship!

A simple start would be a family member knocking at the door while training your dog to be quiet on command. You may then step the difficulty by introducing a stranger to your front door and so on. To be successful in your commands, you will have to repeat the process on que simultaneously with each bark, until he responds. Then a reward is given. Repetition is the key.

Physical punishment is generally an ineffective control as it develops fear in your pet, aggravates the anxiety, weakens the bond and may trigger of an aggressive type response (as part of the fight and flight response). For punishment to be effective it must be used to disrupt the behavior the moment it begins. A good punishment tool would be a water jet, (spray nozzle), or a can with coins that rattles loud.

Once you have successfully distracted him from the unacceptable behavior, it would be wise to redirect his energy into an appropriate behavior, such as play in order to for the problem to diminish over time.

Dog Bites — what we should know about them
In many countries, dog bites are a serious problem. In the United states alone , the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has averaged the incidence of dog bitten to 4.6millon people annually. Out of this number 17 percent needed immediate medical attention. In Malaysia alone this problem occurs on a daily basis. This is probably one of the most common reasons implicated in the abandonment of pets. Although certain breeds have been implicated in lethal attacks over the past years, we cannot make blunt assumptions on various breeds until we understand reasons and significance behind each case. In fact in most cases the culprit is not the dog, but the owner! Here are a list for some of the most implicated breeds- Chow Chows, Rottweilers, Pit bull terriers, German shepherds, Huskies, Malamutes, Dobermans, St Bernards, Cocker Spaniels, Jack Russel Terriers. It is true that some breeds were bred for tasks that required aggression i.e- pit bull terriers, Dobermans, Rottweilers, however isolated cases from dog bites have also implicated breeds that were not bred for aggression, i.e- Labradors, retrievers, boxers, etc. Apart from genetics, environment plays a major role in the mental development of a pet socially or antisocially.

Global studies performed by veterinarians over the years have proven that training and environment plays a major contributing role in the development of aggressive and non aggressive dogs. Hence owners should play a vital role in making sure that pets remain safe around other people and pets. Here are several steps one should take in order to avoid a dangerous situation:

In conclusion, dogs respond to its envionment based on social exposure and environmental stimulation or lack there of. We always tend to blame our pets for mistakes made from our ignorance. Hence an irresponsible owner is more dangerous than any dog.

Having troubles housetraining your puppy?
Firstly understand the importance of patience. Any successful puppy training plan includes supervision, confinement and encouragement.